Just before falling into the sea, I found a bridge leading to the island.
This is another forced choice. The tide will completely submerge this place soon. Then the path at our feet will disappear. But if I return and wait for the next opportunity, someone with jagged rocks for injuries will die.
“Arisugawa, what should we do?”
“…damn.”
I don’t know what to do. My companion’s life, or a Siren with whom I can barely communicate? I found the bridge. There’s no value in keeping this creature alive anymore.
“H-Hiro, the water level is rising! Wh-what are we going to do?”
Lauren was panicking behind me. Iron claws grabbed my shoulder.
“H-hey, what are we going to do? It’s fine about the Siren. We’re all going to drown! I can’t swim!”
I have no choice. This is bad for her, but I’ll turn back. My mind knows this, but the words won’t come out. Say it, that you’re abandoning them. Otherwise, it’s the end for everyone.
“…What, don’t just stay silent. You’re going anyway, right? Hurry up and run!”
Lauren’s hands pushed my back. With a splash, I took a step forward. Theoretically, it’s inefficient, but my emotions won’t allow it. I want to save them, as long as they can still breathe.
“Arisugawa, this way!”
“Hiro, it’s here! Be careful!”
Sharin and Piyo are guiding me towards the disappearing bridge. The seawater has already reached my knees. I’m struggling against the complex currents that block entry from the outside. It’s not just heavy; if I let my guard down, I could be swept away by the sea.
Despite my hurried feelings, I’m not making any progress. My body naturally stiffens to maintain balance. If I fall now, I won’t even be able to put my hands down. The Siren’s body, which wasn’t that heavy, is gradually becoming a burden.
I felt a strong support from behind me.
“H-here, run! I-it’s okay, the bridge is straight. If you fall, I’ll save you!”
“Thank you, Lauren.”
I probably wouldn’t be able to save her if she fell. Still, I felt strangely reassured, and I ran. The water has already reached above my knees. Thanks to Lauren pushing me from behind, I managed to cross to the other side.
A different sensation of gravel underfoot. Perhaps due to repeated exposure to seawater erosion, fine gravel is spread across the steep slope. Even when I stepped on it, I slipped and fell.
“Come on, you can do it!”
“Hiro-san, this way!”
With the help of Lauren and Philiana’s hands, I managed to climb up. Looking back, the place I was just at was already covered by seawater.
“Haa, I’m saved. Thank you.”
“It-it’s fine. More importantly, stand up. We have to hurry and find the village.”
I had forgotten. Where is this village that those two were talking about? The sun is setting, and it would be bad to face the night like this.
“Piyo’s going to look for it.”
“Ah, wait!”
Piyo had flown off towards the village spread out before us. I hurried to chase after him. This is God’s Island; I don’t know what kind of races, or even wild animals, might be lurking here. I seem to recall something about receiving judgment from hellish demonic beasts in a poem.
For now, stopping won’t solve anything. With Piyo in the lead, we all ran. That’s right, I was given a compass. A normal one wouldn’t work, as the needle would just spin.
“Sharin, look at the compass the merman gave us.”
“Hmm, ah. But where is this pointing? The needle is made of repulsion stone, so it should react to powerful magic. Should we just follow the needle?”
“That’s the only hint we have right now.”
The place we’re aiming for must be in the direction this needle is pointing. Still, carrying someone and running is draining my stamina. My arms are starting to ache. The Siren is staying quiet for now, but I don’t know when she might wake up and start thrashing.
“H-hey, can we take a break? We should also look at this guy’s injuries.”
Looking back, Lauren was left behind. She was walking while wheezing.
“H-how cruel! Don’t leave me behind!”
“Sorry, are you okay?”
She yelled at me, gasping, “Do I look okay?!” We didn’t stop walking, even during our “break.” I decided to walk instead of run. I handed the Jagged Rock over to Philiana for a moment and drank some water.
“Hmm, thank you.”
“Yes, but the bleeding doesn’t seem to have stopped. Shall we have Cecilia take a look?”
“Right. Can you hold your hand behind me?”
I took the Jagged Rock again and received treatment from behind.
“I’m going to remove the bandages. It’s quite bad. It looks like it was torn severely by claws.”
What kind of terrible thing did the Chieftain do? She’s a companion, after all. Or is that just the nature of Sirens?
Finally, my breathing steadied. I suddenly noticed something. Despite being surrounded by forest, it was eerily quiet. No, there had been quiet forests before. But somehow, things felt strange. I had no particular reason; it was just a hunch.
It felt like a tiger stealthily stalking its prey. The entire forest felt that way.
